Illusion of Depth
(Design Basics 6th Edition p.177-208)


1. Why do artists want to create the illusion of space in 2-D art forms?
2. What is the picture plane?
3. Which is better- a flat picture plane or a “window”? Why?
4. Why is size the easiest way to show depth?
5. How do you use size to show depth?
6. How is this different than hieratic scaling?
7. Why does overlapping create a sense of depth?
8. How can you increase the feeling of depth when using overlapping?
9. What device do artists sometimes use to show depth instead of overlapping?
10. When did this become important? Which group of artists used it?
11.Why would artists choose this device over overlapping? Isn’t it more confusing?
12. What cultures used vertical location as a device to show depth? Is it convincing to you? Why or why not?
13. What device can be combined with vertical location to create a more convincing sense of space?
14. What is aerial perspective?
15. How/why does it work?
16. What is linear perspective?
17. What two things are necessary in a linear perspective drawing?
18. Why are these two things needed to create an accurate picture?
19. What are the advantages of linear perspective?
20. What other types of linear perspective are there besides one-point perspective? (give me at
least 2 answers!)
21. What are the limitations of linear perspective?
a.
b.
c.
22. What is amplified perspective?
23. What feeling does this produce?
24. What is foreshortening?
25. What are the advantages/disadvantages of using amplified perspective?